The Betrayed
by Marakoron
Summary: Reunited with her old owner not long before Christmas and Rajan's settling in rather quickly. The only difference with this 'Family' is that they're a group of mercenaries, and they're in the middle of an Apocalypse. Rated T for Team Fortress.
1. If it Wasn't for Hate We'd be Dead

The ground beneath her feet crunched quietly. The trees seemed to wave slowly, as snow fell around her. It was eerily dark, and bone chillingly cold. She didn't care where she was going, as long as she could get away from _him_. _He_ was the reason she was in this state. _He_ caused the death of her family. He killed her friend, and now she was alone. Left to fend for herself. She bared her teeth angrily, unsheathing her delicate claws. The thought haunted her like an unwanted ghost; She was alone, cold, hungry and was no doubt going to die. Her head lowered sadly. It was almost Christmas, and she was alone. Likely forever. Hearing a gunshot, her ears pricked. Her tail tucked between her legs as the low, loud moan echoed through the forest. Her heart pounded in her chest and she ran as fast as her paws could carry her. She heard the footsteps of the undead creatures gaining speed. She ran as fast as she could, skidding to a halt at the end of a cliff. She panted heavily, looking down the cliff. Her spirits rose slightly at what she saw; A campfire, surrounded by five or six humans. Okay, they were humans, but they weren't zombies. The moans became louder, and one seemed to roar as it approached her. She glanced back to see a huge zombie behind her. Her heart picked up the pace. She looked down the cliff, to see that the humans had been alerted of the presence, most staring at her. She couldn't tell why though. The zombie behind her got closer and closer every second. She turned her back to the cliff edge and backed up from the zombie. She reared, unsheathing her front claws. The edge of the cliff crumbled slightly under her weight. It was die by zombie, or die by the drop. Her decision was quickly made. Being a cat, she had more chance of survival by jumping. The zombie reached forward to grab her, but by then, she'd leaned back. Her back claws let go of the cliff face, and she plummeted to her death.

* * *

The Betrayed

Chapter one

If It Wasn't For Hate, We'd Be Dead By Now

Words; 4,250

* * *

"Holy Criep!" Demoman exclaimed as the red cat threw itself off the cliff backwards. "That cat's bloodey crazey!"

"I'd rather drown than be eaten by those things," Engineer scoffed. Scout and Heavy simply stared at the cat as it fell. Medic slapped his hand against his face. "still, it's rather suicidal," The five watched as the cat twisted in the air, so its feet were facing the ground. Before anyone knew anything, Spy was standing below, arms ready to catch the cat. It was lucky he was there; The cat lost balance and rolled back to its back. Spy caught the cat easily in his arms. It shivered for a few seconds, before falling limp.

"How good are you with animals, doctor?" The Spy asked as he turned to face the group.

"I'm no a vet, Spy," the German answered with a scoff. "Still, it's vorth a try," Spy nodded as he arrived at the campfire. Medic took the unconscious cat from the Frenchman gently, taking a good look at it. "She appears to be alive, but very veak," Spy grimaced. This cat had just survived an attack from those disgusting creatures by jumping off a cliff. The Spy couldn't help but feel sympathy for the animal.

"Hold on," Demoman interrupted Spy's thoughts. "You said she? It's a lassy?"

"Ja," was the answer. This wasn't much of a surprise. "if you remember, she-cats vere more likely to escape zhe plague, veird as it sounds."

"Fair point," All eyes turned to trees by the fire as footsteps could be heard. Scout gathered his baseball bat and stood ready to batter any zombies. To his slight disappointment, there were no zombies, only Sniper, Soldier and Pyro. He sighed and lowered his bat.

"Any luck?" Spy asked the three.

"Hardly," Sniper replied. "We got a little food, but it's bloody hard to find animals that haven't been infected,"

"If only zhere was a vay to remove zhe infection," Medic grumbled, his attention returned to the cat in his arms. She was unusually large for a domesticated cat.

"You're the doctor," Engineer inquired.

"Ja, but I know nozhing about zhis infection," The cat began to stir, her ears flicking and her tail swaying a little. "Ah, velocme to zhe living," The cat looked up at Medic with a half blank look, her head cocked to one side. It appeared she was studying him carefully. "Because she's a cat, she vill tell vho is infected," The cat meowed a little.

* * *

Who were these humans? Why hadn't I picked up their scent? I shoved the questions to the back of my mind as I felt the human holding me put me down. I was shaky standing up, but what do you expect after jumping off a cliff. I shook off the terror that lingered in my fur. I sat down and looked around at the humans. Three more had joined the group, and I was intrigued by their looks. I cocked my head at the youngest one; he looked like he was in his twenties, human years that is. I turned to each one slowly, taking in their appearance fully. I turned to a rather large, bald human, taking note of the bullets stored on the bullet belt over his shoulder. The next one I turned to was a rather tall man, a balaclava over his face. I was a little amused by his appearance, a balaclava, with a suit? I shook my head and turned to the human sitting at the other side of the fire. He was wearing dark red overalls and my eyes focused on the huge wrench in his hand. I shuddered at how much damage that could do, should I piss him off. I turned to the one beside him. I cocked my head curiously, he had an eye-patch over his left eye and had a huge gun in his hand. At least, I thought it was a gun. I turned again to look at the humans that recently arrived. One was wearing a fireproof suit with a gas mask. I shuddered, feeling a little on edge. The human beside him was wearing a soldier's uniform and had deer slung over his shoulder. I turned to the ninth human. He was very tall. That was the first thing I noticed. Before I could take a proper look at him, I felt a gloved hand on my head. On instinct, I crouched and pinned my ears back.

"I von't hurt you," I looked up at the German, weary of how much in danger I felt. I let out a small purr as I felt the hand make contact with my head and stroke it softly. I hadn't felt a human hand stroke me in so long, it felt like I was in heaven. My purring became increasingly louder as he began tickling a sensitive spot behind my ear.

"Looks like you've made a new friend doc," laughed a strong Australian accent. I looked up to see the tall human crouched beside the German. I purred even louder as he stroked the fur under my chin. A small chuckle emerged from both humans. I suddenly felt very intimidated as a flashback returned to my mind.

_The two humans chuckled darkly as they stroked the young kitten. Before she could react, she found herself strapped to a table._

"_This wont hurt one bit..."_

I shook my head and stopped purring instantly. I couldn't be around these humans!

"Katze, vhat's zhe matter?" I meowed pitifully, wanting desperately to run. But I couldn't find the will to do so. "hmm..." All sensation of comfort vanished as he picked me up, his hands holding me under my forelegs. "I didn't notice zhe collar..." I mewed as the Aussie took the disk attached to my collar and looked at it.

"Holy Doolie, this is the cat that escaped from the science labs a few years back," He gasped. I closed my eyes, waiting for the reaction.

The reaction I got was completely unexpected.

"I vas voundering vhere she vent. I told zhose dummkopfs not to use her," I opened my eyes and looked at the German in curiosity. "zhought I'd never see you again, Rajan,"

My mind whirled. Memories of my past flooded my mind; separation from my parents, fighting my brother, almost facing death, taken in by some human, gaining my name... Becoming the best friend to a human. I meowed happily, purring a little.

"Now, ya'll hold on one dang moment, ya'll know this cat?"

"Ja, she vas my pet," Klaus replied, stroking my head. I remembered his name! Now I just needed to figure out the others'.

"Well I'll be damned,"

"Shame you got her back at such a dangerous time," spoke a Bostonian accent.

"Vell, I got her back, zhat's all zhat matters right now,"

"Well, since she's gonna be staying with us, now would be a good time to introduce us all, mate," Klaus nodded and stood up, holding me in the crook of his arm. I may have been large, but I could still be held easily. He pointed to the scrawny young man.

"Zhat is Scout," Scout grinned, lifting his hat. Klaus then pointed to the large, bald man. "Zhe heavy," He motioned to the man in overalls. "Engineer," He turned to the tall man with the suit. "Spy," He turned to the Australian. "Sniper," He turned to the last three, first the man with an eye-patch. "Demoman," second was the fire-suited one. "Pyro," He finally turned to the 8th, with the deer over is shoulder. "Zhe Soldier, und I'm zhe Medic," Medic? So I'd have to call him that? I shook off the thought and meowed. He gently put me down beside the fire. I looked up at the clouds thickening above. I grimaced, knowing it was going to snow soon. I turned to Medic, and my stomach decided to choose this moment to roar with hunger.

"Someone's hungry," Sniper chuckled. I sighed heavily.

"Well, there's enough deer here for all of us, plus extra, for now," Soldier spoke up. I looked at him to see him shove a stick through the carcass. It wouldn't be long before the virus would reach the deer, meaning we'd have to eat it sooner, rather than later.

After stuffing myself with roast deer, I lay curled up in a ball beside the fire. My eyes were too heavy to keep open after my long journey, so I saw with my ears and nose, so-to-speak. The others were laughing among themselves, despite the current situation. I purred contentedly as I rolled over onto my back. I spread my paws and flexed my claws, letting the heat from the fire warm every inch of my fur.

"She's settlin' in well," Sniper commented. I opened one eye as I heard him sit beside Medic. I purred a little as he stroked my chin gently.

"Ja, She vas very friendly,"

"Whaddya mean, _was_, doc?" Engineer asked. I heard Medic sigh, and rolled onto my stomach to look at him.

"After she vas put in zhe lab, her personality shifted,"

"So now she doesn't trust so easily?" Sniper inquired.

"Ja," Medic sighed. I meowed, tilting my head, causing him to smile a little. My calm dissipated suddenly, my whiskers twitching. I stood up abruptly and looked behind Pyro and Soldier. "Rajan? Vhat's zhe matter?" I looked at him, then back to the forest. "She smells somezhing," I didn't wait for him to explain and bolted past the previously mentioned mercenaries. I stopped a few meters short of a rabbit's burrow. I sniffed the air a little, and crinkled my nose at the foul stench omitting from the burrow. I heard footsteps and quickly recognized Sniper and Medic. I looked down the burrow to identify the smell. I couldn't see anything, not even the slightest movement. "Vhat's in zhere?" I shrugged my shoulders, essentially getting them stuck in the burrow; I'd dug in a little way to get a better look. I heard shuffling in the burrow and cocked my ears forward. I sniffed the air, only to be overrun with the foul stench of the undead. I yowled in horror as I saw the decaying body of a rabbit. "Rajan!" exclaimed both mercenaries. I felt one gloved hand and a bare hand grab my body and pull me – or at last try to – from the hole. The rabbit crept closer, its teeth dripping with blood. I pressed my paws against the ground in trying to dislodge myself from the hole. It was in vain though. I was utterly stuck. My panic worsened as the rabbit got closer. If that thing scratched me, I'd become one of them! I had a decision to make; Be eaten, or rip it to shreds. My decision was made when Sniper pulled me out of the burrow. Unfortunately, the roots of the tree growing over the burrow caught on my head, ripping some of my fur off. I yowled in pain and unsheathed my claws instinctively.

"Sorry mate!" Sniper grimaced. I growled lowly as he held me in his arms close to his chest. "I didn't know the roots were growin' there," I sighed. I was too tired to argue with him. Plus, I knew he couldn't understand me. I mewed quietly as I felt a gloved hand on my head. I purred a little in amusement as I heard the sound of a slap. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For hurting mein katze!" Medic snapped. I heard a mumble from Sniper, but couldn't decipher what he'd said. I heard Medic grumble something in German, but my fatigue wouldn't allow me to listen to him. I felt my eyes close and my body relax against Sniper's. God, I hadn't realized how tired I was until that moment. I purred very softly as I felt Sniper's bare hand stroke my chin. I heard a stereo of soft chuckles before a; "Gut Nacht, Mein katze," and a; "You need the rest, mate," before I drifted into sleep.

* * *

Medic scowled at Sniper through the journey back to the campfire. Who could blame him? His cat had been pulled out of a dead rabbit's burrow and almost had her skin torn off.

"jees Doc, can ya stop glarin' at me! I swear, I didn't know the roots were growin' in the burrow," Sniper finally snapped, still holding Rajan to his chest. Medic simply scoffed. Sniper frowned. "The way ya acting is makin' it look like I bloody killed 'er,"

"You almost did," Medic retorted, a small growl in his tone. Sniper sighed in frustration.

"I got her out, didn't I?"

"Ja, but you hurt her,"

"Will you two stop bickerin'! I could hear ya'll from here!" Engineer growled as the two mercenaries returned to the fire.

"Mmph!" Pyro scoffed. Heavy and Scout had already fallen asleep in their worn out sleeping bags, Demoman had fallen unconscious from too much beer; He'd run out before the end of the apocalypse if he wasn't careful. Soldier was warming his hands on the fire, while Spy had vanished; as usual. Medic sat down on his sleeping bag as Engineer resumed strumming his guitar. Sniper gently handed the cat to Medic, before taking his place of keeping an eye on the camp while the others slept, when the eventually fell asleep. Soldier let out a yawn, though he had attempted to stifle it. Pyro set his flamethrower down before lying on his sleeping mat; He didn't need a sleeping bag, his fire-suit would keep him warm enough. Medic watched as Soldier got in his sleeping back and went to getting asleep. A loud clank alerted the Medic that Engineer was already setting up a couple of sentries. Medic sighed as he clambered into his sleeping bag, making sure Rajan was comfortable wrapped in his lab coat before attempting to sleep, if his insomnia allowed him to. Spy materialized beside his own sleeping back.

"vhere have you been?"

"I have checked the perimeter, mes ami," Spy replied. Medic sighed and looked at his cat. A small smile crept across his face as Archimedes landed beside the cat and nestled himself beside her. "It looks like Archimedes is comfortable with her,"

"Ja, zhank gott," Medic chuckled. What an odd combination, Spy thought. A Dove and a cat, friends? It truly was the 'End of the world'. Amused by the thoughts, Spy chuckled quietly to himself. At the corner of his eye, Spy spotted Engineer settling in his sleeping bag. "gut nacht, Spy, Engineer,"

"bonne nuit, Medic,"

"Good Night fellas," With the good nights over with, each mercenary dropped into sleep, including Medic for a change.

* * *

I woke with a start the next morning. I felt I was in someone's arms, and whoever they were, they were running from something.

"Verdammt, verdammt, Verdammt!" I heard Medic exclaim. I opened my eyes slowly to find him running in front of me. I cocked my head in confusion. Why was he running in front? I looked up at who was carrying me, to my surprise, it was the Engineer. He didn't notice I was awake, so I took the opportunity to take in my surroundings. Behind him, Soldier and Spy were following, behind them I saw Sniper with a Kukuri, Scout with a baseball bat, and Pyro with an axe. I looked back towards Medic, he had his Kritzkreig armed, and he was using on Heavy, who was glowing like crazy, his fists being used as battering rams. Where was Demoman?

"Yaaaa!" I heard his Scottish accent yell. I almost jolted as he ran out of the trees and catch up to Engineer. "Well, that was a we bit of fun, and it was bloody worth it!" He laughed. Engineer rolled his eyes.

"It's best off ya'll use ya fists," he chided.

"Ah well, I'm outta bombs in any case," I rolled my eyes. My attention was caught by something white and red flying past. I purred in amusement as I recognized the bloodstained dove. "Looks like Ra'an's awake,"

"Ya'll be right there," I looked up at Engineer, who was grinning. "ya'll ready to run for yourself? I can't carry ya forever," I nodded unintentionally. Engineer carried me by the scruff, and slowly lowered his arm until my paws made contact with the ground. Once they did though, I shot off out of his grip. "Go get 'em!" I heard Engineer encourage. I rolled my eyes and ran ahead of Medic and Heavy. I heard Medic yell something, but didn't think about what he'd said, instead, I ran ahead. The wind against my fur felt reassuring and made me feel free.

"Doktor! Rajan very fast cat!"

"Indeed, Mein friend!" Medic laughed. I grinned a little, until a zombie rabbit launched itself at me. I hissed and clawed at it; ripping out its chest with ease. Countless rabbits ran at me, everyone of them got sliced in two, or had their heads ripped off by my jaws. I felt a sudden, unfamiliar pain in my forelegs. The back of them were beginning to strain, and my blood felt too hot to handle. I skidded to a halt as the pain became unbearable. I closed my eyes and held my head in my paws. My body felt like it was changing; adapting to the situation. I heard a gunshot, which dragged me from my pain. I looked up to see another Sniper, this one was wearing blue, aiming his Rifle at a large, undead bird. I cocked my head a little.

"It's zhe BLUs!" Medic roared, stopping beside me. The other Sniper heard his cry and faced our group. I couldn't tell if his expression was of horror, relief, or a bit of both. I low and loud bark echoed from the tree the Sniper was situated in, and before I knew it, I was running head on towards a huge, blue dog. I yowled in anger, the dog barked loudly and we collided in the air; We had launched ourselves at each other. The dog tried to get his jaws around my neck, but I dodged every time, returning his biting with swipes of my claws. Eventually, the dog reared and slammed his paws on me. I winced a little, but kept my ground; I leaped up into the air, and plummeted back down, claws unsheathed. I missed him by a few inches, big mistake. I yowled in pain as he grabbed me by the tail and started to swing me around violently. My head bashed against the ground several times, and the occasional tree. The dog reared, my tail still gripped in his jaws, and slammed back down, smacking my head against the ground.

"'Ey! Wrath! Let 'er go!" I heard one of the Snipers yell. Because of the damage to my head, I couldn't distinguish one Australian from the other. The dog let go of my tail, and I heard him back off, growling lowly. "I told ya, if it ain't infected, you don't attack it unless we're huntin' for food! Bloody dog!" The next thing I heard was a gun being cocked. I opened my eyes, but all I could see was a red liquid running down my face on one side. I couldn't see out of my right eye, and I instantly began to panic.

"Ya'll better get a leash on that dang dog of yours!" Engineer growled.

"Don't have one I'm afraid mate,"

"Vell Make one! Verdammt Dummkopf!" Medic snarled. I brushed the blood from my good eye and looked up at the bickering humans. "Vhat are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I heard Medic growl. "Chill Doc, I'm here tryin' to defend what's left of me team,"

"vhat do you mean?"

"The virus got all the BLUs, all except me, Scout 'nd Heavy," The BLU sniper sighed. I mewed pitifully as I felt a pair of hands pick me up. These ones I recognized as Sniper's, _our_ Sniper that is.

"so, there's only three of yas?" Demoman inquired. The BLU Sniper nodded once.

"The rest of 'em are wonderin around our camp, but non of us wanna kill 'em,"

"So ya'll hidin from them?" Engineer asked. BLU Sniper nodded. "That's a bit damn stupid," The rest of the argument was drowned out by my heartbeat. Everything began to blur, and I started to see double. I noticed the BLU dog and Sniper look at me with a grimace. RED Sniper's hand pulled me into his chest defensively and I felt myself being tucked in his jacket. I felt a warm, thick liquid ooze down the right side of my face, into my ear and down my shoulder. I rested my head against Sniper's chest,

And blacked out.

* * *

Sniper felt the she-cat fall limp in his arms, but not before feeling her blood drip from her head onto his hand.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed, glaring at the BLU Sniper. "Your pissin' dog bloody hurt her!" The BLU dog looked up at the RED Sniper, his face riddled with amusement.

"Bloody dog, he's got no sympathy what so ever," BLU Sniper growled, grabbing the dog by the collar, causing it to yelp involuntarily. RED Sniper felt Rajan's body go colder and colder. He held her closer, running his free hand down her back slowly.

"Doc, I ain't sure she's gonna last much longer without help,"

"Nein!" Medic glared at the BLU Sniper. "Keep her varm for now,"

"Got it,"

"We still have medical supplies left from our Medic, I can take ya to our camp,"

"I don't trust him..." Spy frowned, glaring at the one he backstabbed several times back on Teufort, and all the other battlegrounds. The BLU Sniper put his hands up in surrender.

"I wont hold any tricks, I swear,"

"Rajan's slowly dying, I doubt ve have much choice,"

"You really want to save her, ey doc?" Demoman mused. Medic gave him a firm look.

"Take us zhere," Medic ordered. BLU Sniper nodded. RED Sniper waited for the others to follow the Enemy Sniper before bringing up the rear; He wanted to make sure he could get away with Rajan quickly, should anything go wrong.

* * *

The Camp was situated beside a rapidly flowing river, in one of trees was a 'Sniper's nest', a small border of wooden planks surrounded the campsite, clearly the BLUs didn't want to be reduced any more than they already had. RED Sniper took in the surroundings in every detail, he may need the information later on. BLU Sniper opened a make-shift wooden box and Medic looked inside. RED Sniper watched hopefully as the German took out several random objects. In his hands, Rajan was growing colder and colder, she was almost like Ice.

"Hurry doc!"

"ja! I'm just as vorried as you!" Medic retorted. Engineer stood beside Sniper, the same look of concern on his face. Rajan may have been a new addition, but she had already made her home in the hearts of all the mercenaries. Even Soldier looked pale with worry, though he tried to hide that. Sniper stroked the cat slowly, he knew she probably couldn't feel anything, but at least he was trying. Medic finally removed his head from the box and motioned for Sniper to bring the cat over. Complying, Sniper hurried over to the doctor, holding out the weakening cat. Medic took the cat from Sniper and kneeled on the ground, settling her on the ground before him. Sniper watched in anticipation as the Medic began performing complex-looking operations on her. Without his laboratory, this would be a miracle to pull off. "Verdammt! Her heart is already beginning to give out," At the announcement, all the mercenaries, including the BLUs, gathered around the RED Medic to watch the operation being preformed. BLU Sniper scolded the dog for the umpteenth time and sent him down to the camp entrance. BLU Scout and BLU Heavy shared the same look of confusion and worry. Medic grimaced. "Zhis is nicht gut... Sie wird sterben, wenn ich etwas nicht tun soon..." Medic mumbled to himself. He clicked his fingers as an idea popped into his head. He immediately switched on his medigun and used the red energy beam to keep the cat alive. It wouldn't heal her wound, he'd have to do that manually. Sniper grimaced as the medic began to slice open the cat's head, undoubtedly reaching her skull. There was a sickening sound as her skull was pulled into two parts. Sniper wretched and covered his mouth as the doctor began stitching the cat's brain, if it were even possible.

"Wrath must've really damaged her brain,"

"Ja, he split zwei nerves inside zhe main section of her brain, it vill be difficult to heal, but I can manage,"

"Whoa, wait, you can't be serious!" Engineer suddenly burst out. "She has bloody brain damage, and ya'll say ya can fix it?!"

"Ja," Engineer raised both eyebrows in disbelief. "I can't explain how,"

"This _is_ Medic we're talkin' 'bout laddy," Demoman vouched for the medic.

"Yea, I guess so..."

* * *

An agonising wait later, and Medic finally looked up from his work. He grabbed his Medigun and used it to heal the stitching on Rajan's brain and closed the gap in her head. Each mercenary watched in anticipation.

Was she going to pull through? Or was she going to lose the battle with death?


	2. Destroyer Destroyer

Wow, I'm going to be totally honest with you guys, I wasn't expecting this to get positive feedback, I was writing it at like, 12:00 in the morning and I was falling asleep, so I wasn't expecting much.

Thanks to _Wepul_ for the review, I'm going to work on what you suggested!

Anyway, I'm a little more awake now, since its 11:42am, and I want to get this chapter at least started before I go out.

* * *

The Betrayed

Chapter Two

Destroyer Destroyer

Words; 3,841

* * *

BLU Scout grimaced as the cat's head repaired itself, with the help of the RED Medic's Medigun, of course.

"vell, her head is healed, but zhere is no telling vhen she vill wake up..." Medic sighed.

"_If_ she wakes up," RED Engineer added.

"Ja," The Medic stood up, picking the cat up as he did so. "I get zhe feeling she vill be unconscious for a little vhile yet,"

"Is there anything we can do for her?" BLU Scout suddenly erupted. All the RED Team and BLU Sniper stared at him. "What? I was just askin'"

"Zhe only zhing ve can do is hope she'll vake up, before her body decides to give up," Scout wondered idly whether this cat was going to pull through, not that he cared too much, she was a RED cat, and they already had Wrath, and he was a handful on his own.

"Gentlemen," Spy suddenly spoke up. "We have a problem," Each Mercenary faced him. Calmly, the Spy pointed towards a huge horde of zombies heading up the river. "Shall we?" Without hesitation, BLU Scout and Heavy gathered up their items – mainly consisting of weapons and a sleeping bag each – and waited for their Sniper. The REDs already had all their stuff, meaning BLU Sniper was the only one slowing them down.

"C'mon Snipes!" Sniper mumbled insults under his breath as he replaced Wrath's harness. He stood up straight and nodded. "let's go,"

* * *

_I mewed pitifully as my father stood over me and my siblings. I was terrified. I already knew most of them were dead, only my two brothers and I had survived, and the youngest was already dying. I heard my father hiss angrily and crouch lower. I couldn't tell what was attacking us, but I knew it was stronger than mother, she was already lying on the ground, mangled and bloody. Hearing a blood-curdling yowl, I crawled over to my eldest brother and buried my face in his fur. I felt him nuzzle my head softly. I mewed in surprise as I felt jaws close around my scruff. I opened my eyes and looked up to my carrier. Relief washed over me as I identified the cat as my father. I was still scared though; he had a huge gash over his right eye and his left ear had been torn off. I was joined a second after by my two brothers. I turned to my youngest; He was already dead. Did father even notice?_

My eyes dragged themselves open as I felt my body shaking. I was being carried again. I looked up weakly, and saw I was being carried by Engineer again. I mewed weakly, effectively gaining the Texan's attention. He must have run for a while; his face was red and he was breathing heavily.

"hey doc, she's awake!" He panted.

"Gut, keep hold of her zhough, she's still too veak," Medic replied. I felt a sense of dread and relief wash over me. Dread, because he sounded just as tired as Engineer. How long had they been running? I looked past Engineer's arm and almost yowled. Behind him there were at least six undead wolves, each with a different injury. I dug my claws into Engineer's arm instinctively, but let go again as I heard him wince.

"Ow, y'all got a sharp grip there," I looked up at him apologetically. He gave me a small smile before concentrating on where he was running. I looked in the direction he was, he was at the back of the group, not far from two Heavys, a RED and a BLU. I cocked my head. "We're joinin' with the BLUs for now. The bigger the group, the more chance of survival," I nodded once, although I still didn't understand. I looked up again to see the sky cloud over with thick snow clouds, if it snowed, it would be so much harder to see where to go, but it could also be harder for the Zombies to catch us. I shivered at the sight of the gathering clouds; My fur was very thin, what with being in a laboratory for most of my life.

_I cowered in the corner of my cell as the giant hand reached in. My ears pinned back and I pushed myself further into the corner. I yowled in protest as the hand closed around my head and dragged me out. I dug my claws into the bottom of the cage in vain, the human yanked me out and carried me into another room by the head. I yowled in pain, wriggling in his grip._

"_Stay still you blasted freak!" The human roared as he threw me onto a cold, metal surface. I cowered, too scared to move. Another human entered the room with a large syringe. I whimpered as the first human forced me onto my side._

I shook of the salty memory, I didn't want to remember the tests and experiments I was put through. I sighed heavily. What I couldn't understand was; why did I still trust humans? Or was it certain ones? And, did I even fully trust these? I pushed the thought to one side, concentrating on not falling out of Engineer's arms. Easier said than done. As soon as the thought of falling entered my mind, Engineer's footing slipped up, causing him to trip. My eyes widened as the ground moved closer. We were saved by the hand of the BLU Heavy and I released a sigh of relief.

"RED Engineer, okay?" He asked.

"Yea, thank y'all," Engineer thanked. I meowed in agreement. I looked over Engie's shoulder as he raced to keep up with the others. I noticed a different form of those zombies, and these were faster! I frowned and looked down at my collar. My eyes widened as I saw what looked like small crystals form either side of the tag. I shook my head and looked back down. I wasn't dreaming at all. A loud, hight-pitched roar drew me from my thoughts; one of the zombies had caught up. I growled, bristling my fur. "These dang things are getting' faster," I hissed in agreement, unsheathing my claws. "Now don't y'all think about going for them things," I winced internally at the scold.

"MOVE IT GREESE MONKEY! YOU'RE MAKING THE HEAVY LOOK FAST!" Soldier bellowed. Engineer sighed heavily. I mewed and climbed onto his shoulder.

"Maybe you should try carrin this cat!" he shot back. I turned back for a second to see where zombies where.

Big mistake.

I yowled in fear, inadvertently into Engie's ear, and my ears pinned back.

"AAGH!" I growled and leaped from Engie's shoulder onto the zombie, ripping it's head clean off with my jaws. I skidded to a turn as the blood splattered from the zombie. "You're quite the fighter!" I puffed up my chest proudly as I waddled, yes waddled, over to Engie. "We best catch up before it's too late." I nodded and walked by his heel.

* * *

"Hold up," RED scout stopped suddenly. "Where'd Engie and the fluff ball go?"

_SLAP!_

"Rajan is nein 'fluff ball'!" Medic snapped, smacking the irritation on the back of the head. "You haven't seen her fight,"

"Rajan fight?" BLU Heavy inquired, arching an eyebrow. Medic sighed.

"Ja, she grew up fighting, after all, she vas in a science lab for veir years,"

"four whole years?!" Sniper repeated, all sense of surprise in his tone. Medic nodded.

"No wonder she wasn't afraid of those frickin' zombies,"

"Can she do anythin' else?" Demoman spoke up.

"ja, she can do a lot of zhings,"

"Like?" Medic sighed in frustration, pushing his glasses up.

"Vell... Her collar holds several secrets, as does her blood. Vhen provoked, she is very dangerous and could rip a man apart in seconds," both Heavys winced. "But zhat's not all," a small smirk formed on the German's lips. "under certain circumstances, her collar vill dose her vith a chemical with no name, zhis chemical changes her DNA," He paused at the dramatic silence, and the strange noise that came from the BLU Sniper. "I vont tell you any more zhan zhat, you vill have to vork out zhe rest on your own," The mercenaries shared the same confused glances among themselves.

"How does work?" RED Heavy asked.

"Zhe Chemical? I don't know," Medic shrugged. "But, all I know is zhat it killed every ozher animal zhat was does with it, and Rajan can sustain zhis chemical." A sudden roar shook the group from their thinking. "ha!" Medic began to laugh, not necessarily out of humor. "Its happened," Without another word, he ran towards the direction of the roar. The others shared a look of confusion, before running after the medic.

"Holy frickin' pancakes!" RED Scout called as he skidded to a halt beside Medic. "That's fricken'... awesome!" He looked to his counterpart, who was gawking like a fish out of water. The other BLUs didn't know how to react. Their Sniper was staring wide-eyed, while the Heavy blinked slowly. Engineer suddenly emerged from behind a tree and ran back to the team. "How did ya not get crushed?!" RED Scout grinned.

"I guess she can tell who's on her side,"

"Ya can say that again," Scout grinned at Medic. "So, this is what ya were talkin' about earlier, 'ey doc?" Medic nodded once. Scout watched with an eager grin as the massive lion-like creature sliced several zombies to pieces. A roar thundered from the creature as she slammed her paws on two or three of them. There was no mistaking who the creature was; the red and grey markings clearly resembled Rajan. Medic ducked as her tail swooped past, almost taking out his head. Aforementioned tail sliced the torsos of at least 11 zombies in half, before planting into the head of a larger, but slower, one, ripping out the brain as it was removed. For a new member to the team, Scout had to admit that Rajan was damn good fighter, even though she was just a 'harmless' kitten. In his eyes she was anyway. He winced as she thwacked a zombie into a tree, the force splitting it in half. "What got her mood in a twist?"

"Like I said, zhe vorse zhe situation, the more dangerous she is,"

"That didn't really answer my question, doc,"

"Does this explain it?" Engineer raised his right hand. On the back of it, there was a deep, dark and bloody wound, obviously from a bite.

"Ahh piss!" BLU Sniper suddenly cursed, grabbing Engineer's wrist. "You got bitten by one of those bloody things, didn't ya?!"

"Well done, you deserve a medal," Engineer scoffed, snatching his hand from the bushman. He looked around at the others. "What?"

"Ve have to remove your hand before you turn into one of zhem!" Medic growled. Engineer's face turned pale.

"Now hold on doc, this is my only good hand!"

"I'm sorry Herr Engineer, but if zhis wound spreads, you could turn!"

"It's your hand or ya life," BLU Scout folded his arm's over his chest. Engineer sighed in defeat.

"Herr Heavy, assistance?"

"Da," Heavy took hold of Engineer's lower arm and held it tightly.

"Ow!" Engineer winced, glaring at the Russian.

"No pain, No gain Tex," BLU Sniper scoffed. The -clearly pissed- Texan glared daggers at the Sniper. His gaze shifted to Medic, and his face went completely white as said Medic equipped his bone-saw. This was going to hurt. A lot.

"Verdammit!" Medic growled. "I don't have enough hands! Zhis is vhy I prefer to vork in my lab,"

"Lemme help," Scout offered. Medic looked dumbfounded.

"All right, Hold zhis, vould you?" He slammed the Medigun in Scouts arms. "And don't forget to aim it at Herr engineer," Scout nodded and complied; switching on the Medigun and struggling to hold it. A strange coloured beam shot from the device and surrounded the Engineer. "Gut," Without waiting for Engineer's permission, Medic sliced off the poor Texan's hand. Said Texan grimaced, although he couldn't feel the pain, he knew he would soon. Before his arm even had a chance to bleed, the gap on his arm skinned over with the help of the Medigun. Scout shuddered; he'd seen the whole thing, and hopped to hell he wouldn't get bitten himself. He switched off the Medigun once he knew it was safe to, and handed it back to Medic. A small 'Mew' could be heard and as Scout looked down, a smaller Rajan looked up at him with saucer-shaped eyes. A small smile crept across his face. How could he resist this ball of fur? He had to admit, she was very cute. Not that he'd say it out loud. Rajan turned to Engineer, who seemed to be struggling to accept that his good hand was no more.

"We should leave, after all, we do not want to be killed by them," Spy pointed an accusing finger to another hoard of Zombies.

"Ack, does zhese zhing's _ever_ go?" Medic growled. Apparently not. Two of the mentioned zombies roared and picked up speed. Without waiting, Engineer was the first to flee, followed shortly by Soldier, then Demo, and finally the others. Rajan remained behind though.

* * *

I glared at the Zombies running towards my family for a few moments, before turning and following after them. I could feel how healthy I had turned; My blood pounded through my body, my muscles were warmed and ready to run very fast. I dashed past the two lagging Heavys, weaved between the two Snipers, leaped over the Scouts, Darted past Pyro, easily overtook Soldier and Demoman. I had no idea where Spy vanished off to, but I wasn't worried at all. I shook off a memory threatening to hit me and darted between Medic and Engineer. I felt free for the first time in years. Okay, I had a family of 9 rowdy mercenaries plus an extra 3, but I still felt free. The wind blew through my fur effortlessly, the ground seemed to fly past my paws on its own accord, and the skies began to rain down soft, white snow onto my pelt. It was cold, but it felt fresh. I closed my eyes as I ran, using my whiskers to navigate, revelling in the freedom. For a long minute, I felt as though I was flying. Until the ground below me changed gradient. My eyes shot open as the ground steeped and hardened. I found a mountain. Maybe it was safe? I had to check it out first. I skidded to a halt and Looked behind me. The others were still some distance away; I had enough time. I nodded to myself and began to sniff and paw at the mountain. I scaled a few rocks, stopping when I felt oxygen levels drop. I looked down the mountain and swayed. I'd wondered too high. I clambered back down to a sensible level. It was lucky I had; I found a flattened area covered in grass, fresh from the foul stench of rotting flesh. I sat up on my hind legs. I was about to yowl, when I heard the soft cooing of a familiar dove. I sat down as Archimedes landed beside me.

"_Archimedes?"_

"_That's me," _Replied the dove. I grinned, seeing some amusement in his beady eyes.

"_I'm going hold point, can lead others here?"_ Thank god I knew how to speak bird. It might be simple, but it was enough. The nod from Archimedes proved I had made sense, even if it was a little. The bloodstained dove flew into the air and down to the others.

* * *

"Getting... Too... old... for dis..." RED Heavy panted, resting against a tree. "Where Rajan go?"

"Up zhere," Medic pointed up to a nearby mountain.

"I guess she went to find a shelter," Engineer grinned.

"Very well-trained pet you have there, mon ami," Spy chuckled.

"Mphh frmm!" Pyro exclaimed, pointing at a familiar shape getting larger.

"Well I'll be,"

"Archimedes?" The small dove landed gingerly on Medic's shoulder and ruffled his feathers with a coo. "She's vhere?" Archimedes cooed again. "A shelter?" Another cooing. "Ah, I see," One final coo and Archimedes flew into the air.

"How the bloody hell do you understand 'im?" RED Sniper frowned.

"Experience," Medic replied over his shoulder; He was already walking away. A groan of self-pity sounded from RED Heavy as he started after his friend. Before long, they were all dragging themselves to keep up with the eager German. How he kept his speed at his age was beyond Heavy. The Russian groaned again as he realized how high they had to climb.

"Doktor, this is not good idea," he finally spoke.

"Und vhy do you say that?" Medic asked sarcastically, already starting the long ascent up. Heavy groaned. Both Scouts climbed up the side and overtook Medic; No surprise there. "Hurt mein Katze und I vill saw off your hands!" Said Medic bellowed. It was clear to Heavy that he was very passionate about his animals, no matter how small. Amused by the thought, Heavy decided it was time to start climbing the mountain himself. The first few meters were agonizing; Most of the rocks couldn't support his weight and tumbled, taking him with them. By the time he'd gotten half way, the others were almost at the top. No surprise who got there first.

"Doktor!" Heavy bellowed, fed up of being last to be up. The BLU Heavy had managed to overtake him somehow.

"Ja!"

"Dis mountain too steep, wont make it up!"

"Have faith Mein freund! You vill make it, I know you vill!" To anyone else, Medic's words would be encouraging. But not to Heavy. He was tired, kept slipping and to top it off, he hadn't eaten a sandvich in so long, his stomach was rumbling like a lion.

"Da, Da," he grumbled, correcting his footing as yet another rock slipped from below him.

"Mph, mphmm mphf hpmf fpmmm," Heavy jolted at the sudden muffled voice beside him. Pryo had climbed back down to help Heavy. The fire-bug heaved heavy up a couple of rocks, before climbing up the same distance. Eventually, they both made it to the top, out of breath and very tired, but they'd made it.

"You took yer time," BLU Sniper mused. Heavy scowled.

"Thank You Pyro," Heavy shook the Pyro's hand.

"Mphh Frphm mphm!" it replied.

"He said it was no bother," Engineer translated.

"She," Soldier corrected.

"It," Scout corrected again. Pyro slapped his gloved hand to his mask. Heavy laughed at the gesture and sat up. To his surprise, there was already a campfire lit up, and each mercenary had their own food cooking on the flames. Soldier had a couple of ribs, both scouts had shared a packet of marshmallows; a rare sight, Demoman had what appeared to be a fish, where he got it from was a question to be asked later. It also raised the question of where Medic got his hands on a Pretzel. In fact, where did everyone get their food? Heavy was drawn from his thoughts as the sound of a Sandvich wrapper rung in his ears.

"Here," Medic held out the delicious sandvich to the Russian. "I've saved it for you," Heavy grinned and took the Sandvich from the Medic, slapping him on the back in thanks. "Ah, No problem," Medic chuckled, pushing his glasses back up. He took a bite out of his sandvich, only to pause in his chewing. Rajan was staring at the fire. It became clear that she had nothing to eat.

"Doktor,"

"Ja?"

"Rajan has no food," Medic looked at the cat, his face suddenly concerned. "What will she eat?"

"Normally, Cat food," Soldier butted in.

"Nein, nicht Rajan..."

"Then what does yer cat eat?" Sniper questioned.

"Anyzhing _but_ cat food," Rajan seemed to wretch at the mention of the word. For a moment, it was silent. Until Rajan's stomach growled like an angry bear. She looked down at her stomach, showing somewhat embarrassment.

"Here," Demoman ripped off some of his fish and offered it to the hungry cat. "ya need somethin' to eat jus' as much as we do," Rajan purred and gently took the fish from the demolitions expert and immediately started eating eat.

* * *

After listening to a long conversation, I let out a loud, but cute yawn.

"Someone's a wee bit tired," Demoman chuckled.

"Da, we should all sleep," Heavy said, stroking my head. A loud purr rose from my throat.

"Agreed," every other mercenary nodded in agreement. I watched as they all lay down beside the fire in a very deformed circle; Heavy had moved from the end of the mountain to avoid falling off while he slept. I cleaned my paw as I tried to decide who to curl up to. Archimedes had already layed a tax on Medic and was curled up beside him. I thought long and hard. But still couldn't think. I sighed and lay down where I was. I decided to wait to see who didn't snore the loudest.

Oh how wrong that decision was.

Every one of them snored louder than humanly possible. Demoman was a no-go, his snores were like a thunderstorm. Soldier began yelling in his sleep, Scout was grumbling about baseball, Pyro kept making strange noises, Heavy was as bad as Demoman. Spy was no where in sight; as usual. The only ones left were Sniper and Engineer. Or I could sleep alone. I shuddered; too cold for that. I padded silently over to the two aforementioned mercenaries, who so happened to be sleeping fairly close to each other. They were both snoring, but they were barely audible over the other snores and bellows. So, noise wasn't the problem this time. It was comfort. Whether I curled up to Sniper or Engineer wouldn't make that much difference, they were both more comfortable that the ground. I narrowed my eyes as I thought. My ears pricked as I heard the BLU Heavy yell about his Sandvich and then Wrath, who hadn't done much since he arrived, barked and whined in his sleep. I found it rather amusing the way he tried to run, despite lying on his side. I rolled my eyes. Dogs, they were all the same. Sniper stirred and rolled onto his back. I noticed Engineer had held of that big, head-smashing wrench and decided not to get on the wrong end of it. I padded up to Sniper and curled up against his side with a small purr. I felt him stir again, only this time, he lifted his head. I unfurled a little and looked up at him.

"Awww, for a dangerous animal, yer cute when ya wanna be," he chuckled quietly, stroking my head. I purred as he lay back down again. I closed my eyes slowly and drifted into a sleep.

Little did I know how much of a Nightmare that dream was going to be.

* * *

I really got into this chapter after a short break. See what being ill does to your brain?

The scene with the zombie-slaying-lion-thing was a friends idea and I had to use it.

Writing that last paragraph was so much fun with trying to think how the classes would sleep. Figuring out who Rajan was to curl up to was VERY hard though, the main reason I chose Snipes was really because almost all the Australians I know have a soft spot for Animals. (I don't know that many Aussies so, forgive me for being a stereotype)


	3. It's Not The End Of The World

**Posting review replies in AN if I can think of how to answer here, simply because some of the reviewers I can't reply to, for whatever reason. If you don't want to read the replies, feel free to scroll down to the real chapter.**

_Wepul:_** That is a very good question about the climbing, at the time I hadn't thought about it, too much of a plot in my mind at the time. Hopefully the answer to your question will appear in this chapter. I noticed there were a few grammar errors every now and then too, after reading through again, but I had spread out the writing over the space of a few days, that and I was ill the last day of writing, so my mind wasn't thinking straight. **

**Whoah, long reply XD bad habit of rambling when I'm alone.**

**I'll try not to make the chapter tittle as unrelated as the last one.**

**I'm terribly sorry for how long you guys have had to wait for this chapter, I had so much to do lately and I had writers block for everything. Anyway, it's Christmas Eve, I need something to do and I have youtube blaring on my Wii.**

**Anyway, let us continue!**

* * *

The Betrayed

Chapter two

Its Not The End of the World, But I can See it From Here

Words; 3,528

* * *

_I flinched as the lights flickered on. It was too bright; I couldn't see a thing. I shook my head, trying to get used to the blinding light. Once my eyes focused, I rose to my feet, only to fall back down again. I growled. Why couldn't I stand up? I looked down at my paws, what was left of them. I gasped; the Scientists had removed my right forepaw! I lifted the stump to take a look at it. I cocked my head a little. There was a strange metal thing sticking out at two sides. My fur bristled as the door opened, and two scientists walked in._

"_The Transplant was successful, her right paw is being constructed as we speak. As for the bones, we have removed the organic structures and replaced them with metal rods, wiring within."_

"_Excellent," Spoke a lower voice. "And her nerves?"_

"_We have connected the wires to her nerves, once she gets her new foot, she will be able to control it with ease," I growled. The asses! They were turning me into a cyborg! A loud _Click _caught my attention. I looked up from glaring at the bottom of the cell, to see one of the scientists. He had the most sinister look I had ever seen. _

* * *

My eyes shot open and I blinked several times. Remembering my dream -flashback- I looked at my right paw. Flexing it, I took in the mechanical noises it made.

"Bout time ya woke up," Demoman mused. I opened my mouth to mew, only to find myself yawning. "Sounds like ya had a good night sleep lassy," I purred a little as he stroked my head. I looked around to find myself in his arms. Jesus. Was I _that_ precious to Medic? I shook my head and began looking for him. I smiled internally as I spotted him talking to Heavy. They were too far away to hear what they were saying though, so I busied myself by attempting to steal Demoman's drink. He didn't like it one bit. I batted my paw at the bottle several times, eventually ticking him off. "Will ya stop that!" He growled. I purred in amusement and batted the bottle again. "Fer god sake, ya doin me head in!" I smirked inside and started to bat his chin instead. Now that was hilarious. Every time I went to hit him, he'd grab for my paw, miss, and I'd hit him again. The cycle continued for a little while, before he eventually said; "Can someone else carry this cat? She's really buggin' me now!" I meowed in surprise to find myself being picked up by another pair of hands. These hands were smaller than Demoman's, but they were gentle. Very gentle. I looked up to my carrier, to see Spy glaring at Demoman. I cocked my head a little.

"You are acting like a child," The Frenchman informed the demolitions expert.

"She was battin' me Scrumpy!" I looked up just in time to see Spy finish rolling his eyes.

"Maybe she is trying to tell you something," Spy retorted before swiftly walking ahead, causing me to grip onto his suit. "Please, Do not do that mon ami," I let go and mewed sheepishly. Despite how thin Spy's arms were, I felt rather comfortable lying in his grasp. I settled in his arms, making sure I could see where I was going, or rather, where _he_ was going. The forest was surprisingly quiet, save from the bickering of the two Scouts. I caught the end of the BLU's sentence; "...is mine!" and rolled my eyes. My nose curled up at a scent a few miles back. Shaking the thought of a Zombie attack off, I strained my ears to pick up the nearest conversation. Engineer was talking to Soldier.

"How exactly did you get up the side of that mountain with only one hand?" Soldier asked suddenly. Engineer's reply was delayed, so I guessed he was caught off guard.

"with difficulty," I turned to the conversation just in time to see Soldier's hat rise with his eyebrows. "By the time y'all got up, Demo climbed back down and gave me a hand up," I rolled my eyes and shook my head at the bad pun.

"you need to work on your jokes," Soldier said the words I was thinking. Engineer slapped his hand to his face, realizing his accidental pun.

* * *

The ground crunched beneath Wrath's paws as he trailed behind the human convoy. Realizing the RED's cat was far more interesting than him, he decided to trail behind, simply to see who would notice. His fur pricked as the wind blew through him from the south. The wind was warm, but it carried a horrid stench. He whipped his tongue around his snout to moisten his nose when he realized how thirsty he was. He hadn't drunk for a fair few days now, and he was feeling the effects. He growled to himself and lowered his snout to the ground. He couldn't smell much besides the smell of the humans' paws -feet. He wondered further out to find another smell. He got what he wanted. The faint smell of a deer caught his nose, making his instincts go wild. He trotted further, his nose still firmly planted against the ground. Gradually, his trotting developed into a gallop, then into a run.

"hey! Wrath's found something!" he heard his master yell. He was to caught up in following his nose to realize the other's were now following him. Several scent paths of dead rabbits, squirrels and birds crossed his nose but the deer was far more important. He eventually stopped next to a tree. "What is it boy?" His owner stopped beside him and knelt, grabbing Wrath's collar. Said dog looked up for a second, before turning his gaze back to the deer. BLU Sniper followed the hunting dog's gaze and spotted the deer himself. Wrath crouched down low as Sniper readied his rifle, loading it as quiet as he could. Wrath waited until he heard the cocking of the gun. His ears twitched as the Bushman aimed and fired. The deer went down straight away. Wrath dashed forward toward the deer. If any zombies were to turn up, he'd make sure none of them got the deer. His master's hunger was more important than those horrid, hellish creatures. He reared up to take a look around. Nothing. He gave a single bark, signalling that the coast was clear.

* * *

I wrinkled up my nose at the smell of the dead deer. I knew we didn't have long to eat it before it could be smelled by the zombies. I jumped out of Spy's arms and landed clean on my feet. I watched in slight interest as Pyro took out its flamethrower and easily stated another fire. I climbed up the nearest tree to the highest branch and sat there, looking down at the humans. A small grin formed on my snout as I thought about how high I was. I could startle any one of them and they wouldn't expect it. That plan would be useful against zombies. I absent-mindedly began kneading the tree branch, not realizing how sharp my mechanical claws were. A sharp cracking sound told me how much damage I was doing. I looked at my paws and the branch began to snap. I stood up and jumped back, just as the branch fell. An idea suddenly formed in my head. I leapt down to a lower branch and began cutting down the branch I was just lying on. The thick branch snapped off easily, unfortunately, it collapsed onto the one I was standing on, then that one fell, then the one below it. I yowled partly in amusement, partly in fear as the branches fell one by one, bring me with them.

"Ficken! Rajan!" I head Medic yell. I turned in the air to land on my feet, only to be caught by medic, who quickly jumped out-of-the-way of the falling branches. "Vhat vere you doing?" I looked up at him with guilty eyes. He frowned.

"_I trying to get less noise-creating weapons for you..._" I said, despite how little sense I'd made, and the fact I knew Medic couldn't _possibly_ understand me anyway. He rolled his eyes. Did he understand me?

"und vhy vould you do zhat?" He did understand!

"_Dunno,_" I shrugged.

"What was noise?" Heavy asked as he trudged over.

"Rajan vas trying to get veapons for us," Heavy tilted his head a little.

"What use tree branches?"

"I gazer zhey would cause a lot of damage if zhey vere hit on zhe zombies heads... hey! Zhat makes sense!"

"da, shooting makes noise, noise attracts Zombies," Heavy surmised. I purred in agreement. "You have very clever cat, doktor," Medic chuckled and stroked my head. I purred.

"Ja, ve are lucky to have her,"

* * *

I scrapped my claws down the wooden branch at the same speed as Sniper with his Kukri. Only difference was, my paw wasn't normally used for cutting. Several times I had to pull my paw back and ease the pain. So far, about 3 pointed logs had been made. We needed far more than that. Both Snipers had ran out of ammunition for their Huntsman's(or was the plural Huntsmen?), meaning they needed more. Okay, they both had a Kukri, but firing was the better option for a Sniper. I winced as a fragment of wood stuck out and got itself stuck between my paw pads. I looked at my paw and frowned. The splinter was far larger than I thought, but pulling that out and I'd surely bleed. I looked up at Sniper to get his attention. When I didn't receive it, I meowed.

"What's yer problem?" He asked, sounding a little agitated. I put out my paw. "Ouch, gimme yer paw," I hesitantly allowed him to take hold of my paw. "this is probably gonna 'urt," I closed my eyes and bit my tongue a little. The pain that followed was intense. As soon as I felt the splinter separate from my paw, I yowled in pain. "I told ya it'd hurt," I hissed in pain. God it hurt.

"Vhat vas zhat yowling?"

"Rajan got a splinter," I rolled my eyes as Medic rushed over. "I got it out though," I flinched a little at the glare Medic shot at the Aussie. He was only trying to help. I gasped as a sudden cold touched my paw. I looked at my paw with wide eyes, but then relaxed when I realized it was only a flask of cold water. I had no idea how it was still cold though. There where a lot of things I didn't understand.

"zhat should stop zhe bleeding," I nodded. "Don't try to clean it just yet. I vouldn't want you getting infected by anyzing." I rolled my eyes. I was a cat, my saliva had natural antibiotics. I think. I hope.

"I thought cat's had clean tongues?"

"Ja, but in zhese conditions," Medic gestured to the surroundings. "I vouldn't want to risk anyzhing"

"I think ya better let me do the rest of this," Sniper ordered, patting my head. I frowned, mewling as I felt a hand close around my scruff. I wasn't a kitten any more! If I could fold my arms, I would. Medic deposited me in his arms, still holding the cold flask to my paw. I pawed the flask away and glared up at him.

"vhat's your problem?" I motioned to my paw, not realizing how quickly it healed. "how... zhat's nacht supposed to happen," he spoke more to himself than me, I assumed. I looked down at my paw and gasped. The gap between the pads on my paw had already scabbed over, and my fur and skin was already attempting to heal over. The blood seemed to have vanished completely. "Vhat did zhey do to you in zhat lab...?" I mewed in surprise as he picked me up under my forelegs and turned me so I was looking at him, my hind legs curling up naturally. "Next you will be speaking..." the Medic smiled a little and shook his head. "zhat vould be cliché," I looked over his shoulder at a strange, yet familiar sound. My ears pinned back and I could feel my pupils shrink to slits. "vhat now?" He turned to follow my gaze and abruptly dropped me. I twisted to land on my feet and looked back towards the sound. Zombies. More of them. "Ficken, Ve have to leave!" he shouted. I cocked my head as Sniper leaped to his feet and picked up several sharpened sticks. The BLU Sniper appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the last of the make-shift arrows.

"Doktor! More Zombies!" Heavy yelled. I turned to the Heavy, who was running from two zombies. I felt a strange sensation rush through my veins and I ran toward the mini-hoard. I yowled in anger and launched myself at the larger one, dragging my claws through it's lower jaw, effectively ripping it off. I turned to the next one and leaped onto its back. It roared and attempted to grab me from it's back to kill me. I growled, raised my paw and brought it back down again. My claw made short work of the zombie's decaying flesh, tearing it apart like a child who was disappointed in a drawing. As the zombie collapsed, I leaped off it and landed facing it. "Very good fighter,"

"Ja,"

"Anywho, shouldn't we be going now?" Engineer yelled. I watched as the mercenaries grabbed their own weapons and run in the opposite direction to where the zombies were coming from. I ran after them, easily keeping up.

* * *

Soldier growled as he kept pace with the rest of the team. They ran rather fast when being chased by a horde of zombies. If only they were this fast on the battlefield. Pushing the thought to one side, Soldier grabbed his Equalizer, ready to decapitate any Zombie stupid enough to attack him.

"I still want to know where these things came from!" Scout yelled.

"NEVER MIND WHERE THEY CAME FROM MAGGOT! IF THEY CATCH US YOU'LL BE ONE OF THEM!" Soldier bellowed in reply. He looked down as Rajan darted past his feet, looking up at him with a half-scared, half 'what the fuck?' look on her face. "JUST A WARNING KIT," She scoffed and ran ahead. Did he say something wrong? She was a cat, and she was small.

"Sol! Look out!" Engineer shouted. Soldier looked around, stopping and turning on his heel as he spotted a zombie running at him from one side. He raised his Equalizer and brought it down on the zombies head, pulled it back and tore off the creature's head.

"MAGGOTS! THAT'S WHY GOD INVENTED HELMETS!" Soldier tapped his helmet with the butt of the Equalizer. "BUT IT'S NO USE FOR YOU!" Hearing the yowl of Rajan, Soldier turned around quickly and ran back to the group. Rajan was wrestling with the largest Zombie he'd ever seen, and she was loosing for a change. Deciding this was a battle the cat couldn't win, Soldier ran at the Zombie, yelling; "I AM GOING TO CLAW MY WAY DOWN YOUR THROAT AND TEAR OUT YOUR VERY SOUL!".Rajan clung to the Zombie's chest with her claws, and Soldier couldn't help but notice something glint in her left eye. He shook of the thought, raised his weapon and slammed it down hard onto the zombie's head. It simply roared and smacked Rajan and Soldier away.

"that thing is fricking ridiculous!" BLU scout yelled, appearing behind the zombie.

"What are you doing down zhere? Are you insane!" Medic yelled at the scout.

"Not my fault!" Soldier realized with a sick churning in his stomach, that the BLU scout had been bitten. There was no way they could remove his neck without killing him. Not that Soldier felt sympathy for the Scout. Oh no, he wished they could kill him. So bloody badly. The growl of the Zombie tore Soldier out of his thoughts a little too late. It leaped forward at him and pinned him to the ground.

"YOU CALL THAT ATTACKING ME! LET ME SHOW YOU HOW A REAL MAN FIGHTS!"  
"Soldier, no!" Cried all the other Mercenaries. Soldier held of the Zombie with one hand as it snapped at him, trying to rip open his flesh. A sickening crack sounded as a small red blur flew over Soldier's head and into the zombie, sending it into a tree. Four light feet landed softly on Soldier's stomach as Rajan landed from her attack. He blinked a couple of times as Rajan faced him with a facial expression that looked like she was tempted to rip his face off. She then disappeared out of his sight. Soldier heaved himself up and removed his helmet before rubbing his aching head. When the Zombie launched at him, his head cracked off the ground rather painfully. Another sickening sound echoed through the forest. Soldier looked at Rajan wide-eyed. She had torn out the zombie's intestines without so much of a second thought. Already, what was left of the Hydrochloric acid in the Stomach of the zombie was eating away at the body.

"We don't have time to vatch zhis thing eat itself, ve have to move!" Medic growled, helping the BLU Scout to his feet. "Ve need to find somevhere to stay, it's only a mazzer of time before Scout changes!" A single agreeing nod from each mercenary was all the German needed. He turned on his heal and began leading the BLU Scout through the forest. Soldier waited until he was sure the others hadn't been bitten before following after the Doctor.

* * *

My paws were aching. My ears were cold. And boy, was my stomach growling. We had walked for what felt like hours! We managed to lose the Zombies, but now we had the problem of finding shelter. Which is a lot harder than it seems. I looked up at Medic with a mew. I could smell the horrid infection taking hold of the BLU scout, and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. After all, he had seen the rest of his team -besides the Sniper- get eaten alive by zombies. Or so I thought.

"Hopefully it vont be long..." Medic sighed. I wondered if he knew what I wanted. I sighed softly and lowered my head. "I know you are hungry mein pet, but zhere's nozhing to eat," _I know that._ I growled in my head. I didn't realize how frustrated I got when I was hungry. I made a mental note to make sure I didn't turn savage and kill one of the mercenaries to satisfy my hunger. Suddenly, the strong smell of Barbecued meat filled my nose and I could tell Wrath smelled it to. I sniffed at the air, only to find the smell was getting stronger. My ears pricked and my fur bristled. Food! And where there was food, there was shelter. And where there was shelter.

There were humans.

I darted ahead of the group, following my nose. I heard Wrath's pawsteps following me, and shortly after the sound of the mercenaries running after us.

"Am I the only one that can smell Ribs?" Soldier asked suddenly.

"I can smell it too!" Echoed both scouts.

"Mphh Mrmhh Phmm!" Pyro cheered.

"Lead the way!" both Sniper's prodded. I looked at Wrath over my shoulder and he nodded. I ran ahead towards the smell of the barbecued meat. My heart pounded in my chest. Maybe we were safe! I skidded to a halt at the edge of a River. To my right was a bridge, caged off to the outside world. To my left was a locked chain-linked fence gate. Surrounding the other side of the river was an at least 10 foot fence. I spotted a chicken at the other side of the river, pecking around at the dirt. Not far from it was a tall tan dog.

"_Hey!_" I called, though it sounded like a random meow to the others. The dog stopped where it was and faced me.

"_Who are you?_" She demanded.

"_My name is Rajan. My family and I are seeking safety from the undead,_"

"_Why should I let you in? Are you infected?_" I shook my head. Then I remembered the Scout.

"_I am not infected, however, one of our humans is,_" I flicked my tail towards the BLU scout. "_He was bitten on the neck,_" as soon as I said that, the dog's ears pricked up and she darted to the fence.

"_How long ago?"_

"_only a few minutes ago, I think,"_

"_Stay there, I will get my owner!"_ Without another word, she darted down the make-shift cobblestone path. Not long after, she returned with a rather burly built man. I jumped as I heard all 11 mercenaries gasp.

"Oh... Mein... Gott..."

"If it isn't Saxton Hale!" Sniper chuckled. I cocked my head.

Who in blazes was Saxton hale?


End file.
